This post is going to cover some very basic habits and sanity checks that offer large returns over time whilst having a very low cost and in that theme I’m going to keep this to a condensed bullet point list.
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how to get the solution faster
You solve problems every day, when you have a goal and try to achieve it, when you face a shortcoming and try and overcome it, when you have an issue and resolve it
As a habit each time you solve a problem go over your actual thoguht process, how did you solve it?
After you’ve looked critically at it ask how you could have improved it
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if someones better do what they tell you
I’ve noticed a lot of people won’t take advice from people who knows better (I think because they feel if they just do what they’re told it doesn’t feel like ‘their’ accomplishment)
If someone is more credible than you and the advice they give is credible just do what you’re told
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accept easy/simple solutions
Weight loss is incredibly simple, you weigh yourself daily, count your calories and maintain a deficit of 200-500kcal daily, apps automate most of the heavy lifting
As a human it’s natural to fight against simple/easy solutions to longstanding problems
“Not only has this thing been destroying my life for years but the solution is easy and something everyone already knows? the solution is the thing everyones been telling me since the problem first started?”
supress the urge to push it away and just accept the solution, even if it means your problem was mostly self inflicted and easily avoidable
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log predictions
Keep a log of your predictions (I use apple numbers) then also log your confidence (55%, 65%, 75%, 85%, 95%) in each prediction and see how close you are
If you make 100 predictions at 55% confidence only 55 of them should be correct, if more are correct you’re underconfident if less are correct you’re overconfident
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working harder is almost always beneficial
Despite the doomerish advice hard work and time spent working is beneficial way more than most people give it credit for
there’s probably a point at which it tops off (16hrs a day might be marginally better than 12hrs) but it’s way higher than you’d instinctively expect
Try working longer hours and harder and see how you do, in my view burnout is probably a non issue if other factors of your life (sleep, diet, exercise, stress management) are correct,
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basic stuff works very well
Certain basic advice (sleep, exercise, don’t take recreational drugs, don’t drink) are not only increidlby consistent but they also have very large effect sizes, do the basic stuff before moving onto the more esoteric like nicotine patches or adderall